The Choice
by QueenKas
Summary: James and Lily need to pick a secret keeper.


**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using the characters from Harry Potter that are trademarked by J.K. Rowling**

 **Timeline: Marauder!Era  
Pairings/Characters: James Potter x Lily Potter**

* * *

James sat in the study and stared in the crackling fire. He sipped absently on a glass of fire-whiskey and revelled in the burn it created as the liquid travelled down his throat and created a soft warmth in his belly.

Albus Dumbledore's words of warning tumbled around in his mind and played over and over again. The more he thought about them the more the dark ball of fear grew in his gut. He tried so hard to lock that little ball away and smother it with an air of confidence that he didn't actually feel but it seemed the fear was growing and would overtake everything soon. Hearing that the monster that haunted the Wizarding World and murdered thousands upon thousands of innocent people could be coming for your child left James with a deep chill that he could not shake.

The plan was set and all he and Lily had to do was chose the secret keeper. The decision would have to be made tonight as Albus was worried about a possible attack at Godric's Hollow.

"James! We're home!" Lily called out to him from the living room. James sighed and placed his now empty glass on the nearby table and stood with a groan, his muscles ached from his lack of movement.

"Come on, Mate! Get down here, it's hard to juggle all the bags and the little prongslet" Sirius jokingly yelled out.

James smirked and descended the stairs where he bore witness to the humorous sigh of Sirius Black, Pureblood, in muggle clothes, carrying ten different bags and trying to stop Harry from pulling them open.

"I got him" James said and swooped down to pick up his son, "Where'd Lily go?"

"Kitchen with the other bags" Sirius informed his friend and started to move over towards the Kitchen to help Lily put the groceries away. James followed him and smiled when he saw his beautiful red-haired wife.

"What did Albus want?" Lily absently asked her husband as she stocked the shelves.

"There's some things we need to talk about" James said. Lily and Sirius spun around both shocked and the solemn tone that James had adopted. Lily gulped but nodded her head, she reached out and grabbed Harry from James and held her son close to her chest, comforted by the solid warmth his small body offered.

Lily sat at the Kitchen table while the men put the rest of the groceries away. James suggested that Harry go down for a nap, this wasn't a conversation that James wanted Harry to hear, it didn't matter how young he was or how much he could actually understand.

Sirius offered to put his godson to bed and Lily reluctantly relinquished her hold. Once the Black Heir had left the room Lily looked over at her husband and reached out to hold him hand in the hopes of offering comfort.

"Everything is going to be fine" Lily said and while James knew that it wasn't true he was still comforted by his wife's reassurance.

Sirius strut down the stairs and into the Kitchen. He slumped down into the closest chair, leaned back and kicked up his feet to rest on the table. Lily fought the urge to push his feet off and scold the man-child since she assumed that there were more important things to discuss.

The silence on lasted a minute before James began to weave his tale. He told them all about the prophecy that Albus bore witness to and what it meant for their future. He spoke of Albus' deduction that it was either Harry or Neville that would fall victim to this tragic fate and by the time he was done Sirius had sat forward with a thoughtful but angry looks on his face and Lily hand her hand over her eyes and tears dripped down her cheeks.

"What are we going to do?" Lily choked out.

James rounded the table and pulled Lily into a tight embrace, "It's going to be alright. Albus suggested the Fidelius and I think it's a great idea, all we need to do is pick a secret keeper" James said before he looked over at his best friend, his brother in all but blood, "Actually I'd like you to be my secret keeper Sirius. There's no one I trust more"

Sirius was touched that James had chosen him and immediately agreed, "I would be honored to be your secret keeper" but he then developed a thoughtful expression.

James saw the look on his friends face and asked, "What's wrong, Sirius?"

"If they're hunting you. I worry that they'll know immediately that I'm your secret keeper. You know I would never reveal you're secret and would happily die if it meant you guys were safe but what if they have ways of making me talk. I would be gutted if I somehow put your family in danger"

James frowned as he thought over what Sirius just said, "What about making Alice the secret keeper. She would be in hiding as well. Nobody would be able to find her to get the secret" Lily suggested, and Sirius looked thrilled, but James put a halt to that thought.

"The Longbottom's have already gone into hiding. Albus met with them before he met with me and they had apparently already had plans to move into Longbottom Manor with Frank's mother so unfortunately we can't risk Alice leaving safety just to be our secret keeper."

Lily nodded and turned thoughtful once more and Sirius piped up, "What about Peter?"

"Pettigrew?" Lily scoffed. She thought of the shy, awkward boy and had always felt mildly unsettled around him at school.

"Yeah, Peter. He's our close friend but he was never the closest with James. Think about it, everyone will suspect that I'm the secret keeper and come after me. I can keep them running in circles while Peter is safe and sound as the true secret keeper. We can ever let it leak that I'm the keeper and nobody will be the wiser"

James smirked. He love the idea, it was such a Marauder thing to do, "Now that sounds like a solid plan"

It was decided. Peter would arrive the next afternoon and Sirius would preform the Fidelius charm and the Potter family would disappear from the world until the war was over.

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 **Challenges:**

 **Every Kind of Pairing Competition: Marauder Era Pairing**

 **2018 Yearly Event – The 365 Prompts Challenge: Canon – James picking a secret keeper**

 **Word Count: 1061**


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